Lake Tanganyika

Lake Tanganyika, Africa's second largest lake (after Lake Victoria), is shared by four countries, which harvest from it up to 200 000 tonnes of fish annually. Millions of people living within the trading orbit of the Tanganyika basin are regular or occasional beneficiaries of its resources and consumers of fishery products. The lake's role in supporting nutritional welfare is critical in a region where fish are estimated to provide up to 40 percent of total protein. However, per capita fish supplies are steadily declining because of growing human populations and continuing high pressure on capture fisheries resources.

A research programme on the lake was conducted in full collaboration with the national fisheries authorities and institutes. Results confirmed the need for integrated resource management to prevent overfishing, coordination of measures to protect the lake basin environment and for maintaining the biodiversity of fish stocks.

Developing alternative technology and approaches to ameliorate the effects of localized overfishing and the use of destructive fishing techniques, and minimizing post-harvest losses require particular attention. The importance of adhering to the participatory management approach and other principles of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries was highlighted as one of the important avenues for maintaining the sustainability of fish stocks and their management.